Guest Hokie Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 I've had my greyhound buster since may. He's 6 years old and has done a great job at adjusting to home life, but as time has progressed I've noticed he'll go all day without eating if I am home with him. At first he'd walk over to his bowl and eat if i was on the couch or in a different room, but he'd still take treat from me as we did some basic training (stay, come, etc). Now, not only will he not eat, but he'll literally refuse to take treats from me if I am anywhere outside of one of his bed area's. On the other hand, my girlfriend could be standing right next to me and after he refuses to take a treat from me I can hand it directly to her and he'll take it. The only reason I can figure why he's so paranoid is I was feeding him out of his bowl one day and I accidentally dropped the bowl, it obviously made a loud crash and he scampered, but other than that I don't understand why he's so adamant on not eating or taking treats from me inside the house. Has anyone else dealt with similar issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OwnedBySummer Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 (edited) No, luckily I haven't had this particular one. But I have noticed that when they get spooked by something (loud noise, slippery floor, etc.), it does take them a surprisingly long time to recover. For instance, being afraid of the back yard for a week or two after the fireworks are all done. Or slipping on the tile one day and then spending a week or two creeping along, apparently rebuilding confidence. They are definitely different kettles of fish! Ed.: I would suggest getting a very high value treat, like dehydrated beef liver, and trying to give him that. Never heard of any hound refusing that treat! And perhaps that treat can ONLY come from you, so you are the bearer of the "special yummy treat". Edited October 5, 2010 by OwnedBySummer Quote Lisa B. My beautiful Summer - to her forever home May 1, 2010 Summer Certified therapy dog team with St. John Ambulance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Sounds like you may be free-feeding him? If so, I would stop. Then what I would do is hand-feed him, and ONLY you. If he is hesitant to take food from your hand, try sitting down on the floor and holding your hand behind your back while not looking and keep your hand open with the food in it. My girl Olive was super shy at the beginning and I did this for nearly two months before I could look directly at her without her heading for the hills in fear. I couldn't begin to ascertain why your boy is this way, maybe you are a loud person and he is freaked out by you, maybe you have started wearing different clothes that are bulkier because of the change in weather, the reasons could be as varied as the days in the year. I do believe that with the hand feeding, you will help him overcome his fear. It may take a few weeks or so, but it will be worth it. My girl Olive now is my little sweetheart and I can do anything to her including picking her up which I could never have imagined the first 6 months we had her. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaFlaca Posted October 5, 2010 Share Posted October 5, 2010 Yup - I have a similar situation. Wendy will not eat if I am in the kitchen with her. When she first came home, I had a Tupperware avalanche fall on both of us when I opened a cabinet. I will put her food down and leave the room. She will follow me to make certain that I am sitting down elsewhere and then proceed to eat. The Momma is dangerous in the kitchen! Quote Irene ~ Owned and Operated by Jenny (Jenny Rocks ~ 11/24/17) ~ JRo, Jenny from the Track Lola (AMF Won't Forget ~ 04/29/15 -07/22/19) - My girl. I'll always love you. Wendy (Lost Footing ~ 12/11/05 - 08/18/17) ~ Forever in our hearts. "I am yours, you are mine". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bamn Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Greyt Dog Lover has some very valuable suggestions. Free feeding is out. It makes it difficult to manage not only behavior, but medical issues when they arise ("How much is your dog eating" asks the vet.) Hope everyone is happy and healthy - good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest buttonwillow Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I also have to leave the room for Josie to eat a meal. I don't free feed and there have been no crashes but she will wait until i walk out of sight to eat. She doesn't care if my husband is in the room. If I walk back in after she starts eating, she will stop. I can hand feed her treats but if she has food in a bowl or I hand her some chicken necks, she will wait for me to walk away. Baffling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Greyt_dog_lover Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 Button, simply hand feed her meals as well for a little while. Believe me, they will eat out of your hands, it just may take a day of no food for their instinct to survive overrides their fear of you when eating. Like I said, to make it easier, no eye contact, make yourself small and insignificant by sitting on the floor and do not move. This technique can also be used to catch any shy dog, regardless of breed. I did this just last weekend to catch a chiuawawa that was loose in the neigborhood and had a bunch of kids trying to catch it (owners kids). It took me nearly 30 minutes of holding some cat food in my hands to get the little thing close enough to pet. Then when I could pet him for a few minutes, I simply picked him up. Same thing with a shy hound that doesnt want to eat around you, or from you. Chad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TBSFlame Posted October 6, 2010 Share Posted October 6, 2010 I was feeding him out of his bowl one day and I accidentally dropped the bowl, it obviously made a loud crash and he scampered, but other than that I don't understand why he's so adamant on not eating or taking treats from me inside the house. Has anyone else dealt with similar issues? Well, that's enough. My Beecher got his tags caught in his bowl and it pulled out of the stand. For the next 5 years he looked at that bowl twice a day thinking it was going to get him. In time he will most likely get over it but it will be in his time. 5 months may seem like a long time to us but to them it is not. It has been my experience that the more you try to force something the longer it takes. They really can be quirky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest DorasMom Posted October 7, 2010 Share Posted October 7, 2010 My Coach wouldn't eat with anyone in the room. If he'd started to eat and someone even thought about walking into the kitchen he'd run away. He did this for almost two years and one day he just stopped. Now you can juggle pots and pans in there with him and he doesn't care. It took him awhile to relax and really trust. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest june Posted October 8, 2010 Share Posted October 8, 2010 Have you tried moving the bowl to another area? Or feeding out of another bowl in a different are? If that works you can gradualy move the bowl back where it had been located. I agree that you should not free feed. I also take it one step further; my dogs have to 'work' for the food. That can be whatever you want it to be. Haveing several greys I have my dogs sit while I put down their food. Then I tell them "ok" This is not a long time just a second but enough so they are under control. this way there is no competition for the dog bowls. Good Luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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